


Time never stops ticking

by Starrynightsfillthesky



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: ;), Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Gen, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts, The hermit craft civil war, Time Skips, Time Travel, a tad bit of comfort, and has a slight mental breakdown deciding, huge angst and a tad of comfort, i love all the hermits, if i kill someone off just know it’s for plot, im sorry Grian, just a tad ;), like there’s no respawn because ;) plot, mentions Funerals, mentions blood and witnessing death, mentions of Evo and Yhs, slight time travel paradox, the character deaths are permanent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-08-19 15:00:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20211670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrynightsfillthesky/pseuds/Starrynightsfillthesky
Summary: Tick. Tock.An endless constant stream of ticking.Tick. Tock.The hands of a clock.(They never stop)Tick. Tock.A moment of stillness.Tock. Tick.The ticking never stops they said(But then it did.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Look I know this is late  
Sorry my man Grian ;)
> 
> TW: Mentions suicadal thoughts

Time is a fickle thing, a phenomenon, a mystery never to be solved, at least in Grian’s thoughts. As long as Grian could remember, time has always been a mystery to him, the way it moves without fault, or care for others desires. To anyone else Time just exists, it’s a constant in the society they had created and molded to their tastes. In their eyes Time wasn’t special, never had been anything else but a small thought in the back of their heads.

But to Grian Time was so much more than that.

Even when Grian was in High School in his old server he could recall how much the concept of Time had so very much intrigued him. The way in only minutes so much could happen, how in seconds everything could go absolutely haywire and so terribly wrong. 

It had been the same in Evo, Grian’s previous server. When hours were spent staring into the celestial abyss on top of his base just trying to understand Time. Trying to understand how it only took mere hours for his best friend to go missing, never to be seen again, the person who had stuck with him throughout the mess that highschool was.

Then later sobbing in the new server he was forced in trying to grasp how it only took seconds for everything in Evo- his home, his friends, the town- to be destroyed.  
So Time did intrigue Grian it always had and always will. The way how it had ripped everything thing he held so close to his heart and shredded it until it was nothing but ashes and dust holding memories of anguish. How it held no emotion or regret, or remorse, nothing for everything it had done to Grian. 

All it took was time.

Seconds.  
(Gree-on. Sharp pain in stomach. Hide. Knife glistening with blood.)

Minutes.  
(Gentle hands. Grian. He’s gone. Can’t be found. Nothing can be done. It’s all your fault.)

Hours.  
(Ashes. Screams. Town Hall crumbling to dust. Get to the portal. Quick. Now, Grian.)

Days.  
(Strange new Island. Nobody’s here. All alone. Wants to go back. Awaits for his appointment with the reaper.)

All it took was time. 

In a blink of an eye Grian was always left alone as if that was his destiny the void had prevailed him with since the beginning. Solitude would always be there with Grian just as Time had planned.

That’s what made Time interesting to Grian. Time held no mercy, no remorse to the cries of the pained, it just stood blank faced before him as he sobbed near the portal he came through. Reinstating its place as the only constant in the freshly created server.

The only one there for Grian even if did stand blank faced and silent.

Time ripped away everything from Grian but it still stood with him even as the sky had darkened and even as Grian had climbed a tree to escape all the danger nightfall held. Even as he stared into the dark abyss below the canopy of leaves and wondered how had everything gone wrong in only seconds, in only minutes, in only a couple of hours how had he ended up in a world of solitude with only time as the constant.

_____________________________________

The Island of Solitude. 

That’s the name that Grian had dubbed the place he was stranded in, it was the truth after all. For the many weeks and days that Grian was stranded here he had yet to encounter another human, another entity that wasn’t a flock of chickens or unfortunately an occasional hoard of zombies. Instead all he had were the thoughts swirling around in his head and the silent constant presence of time.

He was all alone, and it had gotten so tiring.

After all one can only put on a facade of happiness before the arms of solitude and thoughts pull them down under.

Grain had been pulled down under.

He spent nights just begging for someone or something. Anything to get rid of the dark calls that arose from solitude.

He screamed into the dark night sky, tears rushing down his face.

Only the soft sound of the rustling feathers of chickens below his treehouse could be heard.

______________________________________

Grian couldn’t keep track of the passing days, he had given up keeping track after the first month which was when he also gave up hope on seeing another person for the rest of his life.He just knew a couple of months had passed by when it happened, when he heard something.

Voices.

Actual voices in the distance along with laughter.

Not voices like the ones that screamed at him inside his head.  
(Gree-on. Toritios. He’s gone because of you. You killed us. Why didn’t you save us? It’s all your fault.)

Not the hums of a wandering villager.

Or the clucks of his chickens.

But voices which only meant one thing.

People.

At first Grian though he was hallucinating, he already heard the silent screams of all his dead friends so hearing random, unfamiliar voices wasn’t that much of a surprise to him. He had wished and begged so hard for real human contact that his mind was finally compensating by making him hallucinate real voices. That was the excuse Grian had told himself, he didn’t deserve human contact after all the things he had done, after all the atrocities he had committed.

So he ignored the voices. 

Everything was always his fault, so if the voices were real he would rather not force them with the burden of dealing with him.

He laid on his bed awaiting nightfall. The clock and it’s ticking above him as his only companion.

The voices were fading anyway. 

_______________________________

The voices seemed to grow louder, although the laughter by far was the loudest. 

Which was odd all things considered, Grian was used to hearing screams and taunts in the voices of his dead friends, not kind voices and certainly not laughter.  
Grian listened to his clock instead.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

A scream pierced through the tranquil silence.

“-Suma! Come look at this, it’s a treehouse.”

Grian snapped out of his stupor, as far as he knew the voices didn’t know he lived in a tree house. All the voices knew was that it was Gian’s fault.

(It was always his fault.)

He heard the creaking of ladders, as someone climbed up them. He told himself to get up, to get out of bed and defend himself from the intruder.

Another part of himself asked what was the point, maybe the intruder would finally do the deed.

(Maybe he could meet the reaper.)

“Hello? Is anybody in ‘ere?”

The voice was at the door now, Grian sat up and faced the door.

(Might as well go with some dignity.)

“I’m coming in whether someone is ‘ere or not.”

(Grian thought the voice sounded rather kind for an intruder.)

The door creaked open, a startled gasp came out the odd intruder.

(Why hadn’t he hurt him yet Grian thought)

“I didn't realize someone was ‘ere, you didn’t speak up.”  
Grian stared at him.

“You must be a new hermit, we usually get a new one every year or so,” the intruder continued completely ignoring Grains face of confusion, he look around Grains little treehouse, “Looks like you’ve been here a while, anyways the names Xisuma.” The intruder, Xisuma apparently, looked at him expectantly.

Grian froze, should he trust the intruder or not, the last time he had encountered another person he had gotten them killed. He always failed people why should he burden this new person with him if he knew that all he would bring was disappointment. But Grian has been so lonely, and he was sick of it, sick of only having the screaming voices inside his head as a companion. He so desperately needed human interaction, humans were built to need interaction to survive. Grian knew that if he refused this chance he would probably go insane as the voices overtook him so he moved to give the stranger a handshake.

“The name’s Grian. Nice to meet you.”

“Well Grian, let's get a move on then, the others are waiting outside.”

Xisuma walked out the door looking over his shoulder as to beckon Grian to come with him.

“Come on, we don’t have much time before nightfall.”  
Grian slowly got out of his bed, as Xisuma begin the descent down the ladder.

He took a long look around his treehouse, he could finally leave this place. He didn’t look back as he left.

(The place only brought back memories of his past failures.)

____________________________________

Time had passed, it always does after all.

Days passed and Grian met people and began to feel less lonely.

(Iskall. Mumbo jumbo. A person who always said Howdy. An Ice Lady.)

Weeks passed and Grian finally stopped doubting that they would leave him.

(Laughter around a campfire. Joking around. Staring at the stars. Eating s’mores.)

Months passed and Grian felt himself becoming himself again.

(Harmless pranks. Building massive bases. Hanging with new friends.)

Time had passed since Grian had met these people, since he had met his friends. 

Time had passed and Grian no longer felt lonely, no longer felt empty, he was happy again.

Time had passed and it was good for a while at least.

Grian had been foolish to believe the at all the tranquility and happiness he had become accustomed too would last. He was foolish to believe that he would finally be able to be happy. Grian knew that would never happen, he had done many bad things for him to be happy, he was bound to receive karma from the universe.

Time had passed and things had gotten worse.  
But of course time didn’t care what effect it had on people.

It didn’t have to, it was too great of a force to care.

Time had passed and things had gotten worse. Grian didn’t even know how it all happened.

A harmless prank aimed towards Mumbo with the help of Iskall had turned into something so much worse. The entire town of hermits was split into sides, with trust nowhere to be found. Friends were pitted against friends from what stemmed from a harmless prank. A harmless joke between friends. 

The once peaceful town of hermits, of friends who have known each other for practically forever, had been transformed into a war zone. 

All the trust and friendliness that radiated around the server disappeared.

Grian hadn’t meant for this to happen.

(He never did.)

The War has turned serious, Before it was playful almost like it was all a big joke. But then they returned Mumbo close to death, They returned him to Grian’s side with a threat the next time it would be a dead body.

All bets were off at that point, it was shown that maiming was allowed, and that changed everything.  
Wars bring death, they turn people against their once friends, it brings weariness and the feeling that no one can be trusted. The civil war wasn’t different.

Not even time can prevent death in war, death is always inevitable.

Grian hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, he hadn’t meant for his home to become a war zone riddled with death, But it happened anyway. War is no exception to death. People died on both sides their soul disappearing to accompany the void. Just because this was a war between friends doesn’t mean people wouldn’t die.

Time passed.  
(Like it always does)

The war ended.  
( But only with the help of bloodshed.)

Bodies were buried.  
(Joe. Tango. Mumbo. False. Ren. Scar. Wels.)

Fights broke out.  
(He’s gone because of you. It’s not my fault, it was war.)

Funerals were arranged,

Trust was never restored.

The World that the Hermits have learned to love was filled with disharmony and despair.

But time still ticked. They said time never stops ticking, that it remains unchanging.

But Grian was willing to try.

He had too.

(All his fault he thought.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They one where Grian god slightly insane with a round of angst for all the hermits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. Idk what to say I know I’m late but ya know it be like that. I’m sorry in advance for what happens in this chapter ;)

Death was no stranger to Grian.

In fact at this point they could be considered friends if it weren’t for the fact that Grian despised Death and all it brought. Death was like Time, it was a a never ending constant in Grian’s life, a force that he couldn’t get rid of no matter how much he tried.

It would be a lie to say Grian had never tried to run from death.  He had tried so many times, but was always greeted with failure.

Grian was a rabbit and Death was the Wolf.

He was always being chased and barely escaped most times.

He first met the reaper back in high school, it was under traumatizing circumstances.

_ (She’s Dead. Why would you do that? It’s okay Gree-on, don’t worry) _

The reaper and him met several times after that too, at a certain point Grian had gotten used to the presence of death.

In Evo it was the worst, death stood all around him, shrouding the entire town with its dark presence.

_ (You could’ve done something, but you didn’t and now they’re dead. Screams in the air. The smell of burning flesh.) _

He had been foolish to believe that he had finally escaped the reaper, no one can escape the reaper after all.

The reaper had caught up to him in Hermitcraft, or rather he had called for the reaper.

War always brings death.

_ (Killed by arrows. Drowned. Stabbed just as it was called off. Burned to death. Poisoned. Crushed. Sword to the stomachache.) _

No one can escape the reaper.

* * *

Grian had attended all of their funerals, he had to, they were his friends and they were dead just because of a silly harmless prank.

(_Seven dead. You’re fault. Just like always.)_

Everyone had attended the funerals.

All of them were closed Casket.

(_None of them could bear staring at their dead friends anymore.)_

It was tense to say so lightly, they had all known who had killed who.  Who had went to far in the heat of the moment.  Who had seen the dead person last.

(_Get away from me. Please, I’m sorry. You killed her, get away.)_

TFC had given the eulogies for all of them, he was the mediator of sorts, the one who kept the calm between the divided group of friends.

The one who kept the people from attacking the murderers.

(_You're vile, you are a such a crap-head. It was war, okay people die,_ _ I’m sorry, please. Get away from me. It was an accident, It’s killing me on the inside. Good, because you actually killed him.) _

It took place at a field of flowers, the only place that was peaceful enough for the dead to be buried. The shining sun brought light but the energy of the people stayed the same.

Stoic and silent with sorrow and pent up anger and guilt.

Guilt that all of this came from a harmless prank.

The dead were buried, eulogies given, fights broke out, accusations said, but most importantly everyone found they could no longer call some people friends.

(_He had lived a good life, and fought with Valor. Cut the crap, we all know whose fault this is. I said I was sorry, I didn’t mean to. Sorry doesn’t cut it, he’s dead.)_

Death held no mercy.

Just like Time.

* * *

Grian had to fix things.

He was the reason that seven of his friends laid six feet underneath.

He isolated himself, it was quite easy, no one came to visit him anyways to busy dealing with their own grief and guilt. Grian told himself that there had to be a way, that there had to be a way to fix things, to put things back to the way they were. Another voice in Grian’s head told him it wasn’t possible. That certain things are just meant to happen, that the void only does things that are meant to happen. 

That didn’t stop Grian, nothing could, he pledged to himself that he would do anything for his friends back. Anything.

Even if it meant facing an impossible challenge.

Turning back time.

Grian told himself that it was impossible, Time was unmoving, Time never halted nor changed for anyone or anything. Messing with stuff such as Time and traveling back was playing a dangerous game. There was a high risk that Xisuma would find out and stop him since he was required as an admin to make sure that nobody ever messes with anything void related. 

Time was very void related.

So Grian knew that it was going to be hard. 

That didn’t stop him, nothing could.

He started to hear voices again.

_ (You could’ve save me. I was only involved because of you. I’m dead because of you) _

* * *

Truth be told, Grian had no idea how long it had been.

How long it had been since he last left his laboratory in Hermitville.

How long it had been since he had started on his impossible project.

But he did know that it was enough time for him to grow even paler from the lack of sun exposure, for him to start to run out of a food supply that in theory should’ve lasted him months, it had been long enough that voices now plagued his every waking hour.

Voices of those he had failed to save.

The voices of his dead friends, both past and present.

(_Gree-on. You killed us. Screams. Pain.)_

All his fault.

Grian knew he was close to figuring it all out. That any day now he would be able to go back and fix everything. But with each passing minute, with each passing hour and day, Grian just grew more hopeless. He knew in the back of his mind that what he was trying to do has never been done for a reason.

That people didn’t mess with void magic for a reason.

That didn’t stop him, not when he could still hear the sobbing from Stress and Cleo at False’s funeral.

(_How could someone so brave die so easily.)_

Not when he could hear the sound of Cub’s sobs as he held Nelly at Scar’s funeral.

(_Cub was left with Nelly, but every time he looked at her he burst into tears.)_

Not when he could still remember the poem that Cleo had read in honor of Joe.

(_The poem was buried with Joe.)_

The eulogy Iskall gave Mumbo.

(_In the end TFC had to finish it. Iskall couldn’t stop crying.)_

The trumpet that had been played for Wels.

(_A soldiers funeral.)_

He couldn’t give up not when he could still remember everyone’s face crumpling into tears at the sight Ren’s base.

_(They had to draw straws to see who had to empty out Ren’s RV.)_

Or  when Tango was even mentioned.

(_His base remained untouched.)_

He couldn’t give up.

Grian had caused the War and all its casualties, so it was his job to bring everything back to normal. To bring the aura of happiness back into the Server, for the remaining Hermits to be able to enter a room without a fight breaking out, to be able to just have his friends back.

To be happy again.

* * *

He had figured it out.

After so many different combinations and reworking math equations and having to figure out how to cheat void magic, he had done it.

He had finally figured it out. He had ultimately cheated Time.  Grian could finally go back and fix things.

He could stop the War from happening.  He could prevent the downfall of the Server.  Most importantly he can get his friends back.

Grian just had to figure out how he would do it.

He could feel his stomach cramping from not eating in days, but that didn’t matter.  It didn’t matter that he hadn’t seen anyone in almost 5 months.  It didn’t matter that the only conversations he had these days were with the voices in his head.  It didn’t matter that no body had bothered to contact him weeks ago.  It didn’t matter because he figured it out.

Sure there were tiny problems here and there.

_(If he did this, he just hoped he didn’t see past him. That would be disastrous.)_

The important thing was that he could fix everything, he could pay for everything he’s done.

Grian placed the beacon, the key part of the mechanism, onto the peddle stool that stood in the middle. Now all he had to do was make up a plan on how he was going to fix everything.

He had done it.

There was a knock on his door, more of a pound really.

Grain paused, that was odd. No one had bothered to visit him for a while so what did they want, he thought, as he ran upstairs to answer the door. 

“Grian! Please, ans-answer. It’s.. it’s an eme-emergency.”

There were more pounds on his door. He opened it, only to be met with the sight of a sobbing and trembling Stress.

His heart pounded, “St-Stress,” he placed his hand on her shoulder trying to get her to calm down, “What happened, Stress?”

She looked up at him, the look in her eyes scared Grian, shiny and gleaming with sadness. This wasn’t the Stress that Grian had always known.

_(But to be fair none of them had been the same since the War.) _

“It’s TF-it’s TFC,” Stress started shaking harder with tears flowing down her face.

Grian felt his heart leap.

“...stress… what happened to TFC?” Grian held his breath waiting for a response.

“I don’t know what happened. Xisuma he- he told me and the others. But-but y-you wouldn’t re-respond.” Stress wobbled the tears getting to her, Grian moved to hold her.

“Stress, please. What happened.”

Stress looked up at him, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

“TFC died.”

Grian felt his stomach drop. 

Time for TFC was up.

(_This changed everything.)_

* * *

Cub and Xisuma had declared it as natural death.

_(TFC was an old soul. Been around almost as long as the void.)_

They had declared that no foul play was involved, it was simply just TFC’s time to meet the reaper. That filled everybody with relief.

_(Who knows the mayhem that would’ve happened if foul play was found to be involved.)_

It was Cub that had found him, in his bunker bedroom, he hadn’t showed up to their planned monthly meeting at Cub’s.

_(Died in his sleep. Peacefully. Old age.)_

There was nothing that anybody could’ve done to prevent the inevitable. That didn’t stop people from feeling like they had failed TFC.

The funeral was held at the same field the others were buried in.

Cub gave the eulogy, he had known TFC since basically birth.

_(TFC was the wisest man I ever had the pleasure to meet. May his soul finally rest.)_

The rest of them had been too choked up to say anything. 

Cleo read a poem as they lowered his casket into the ground,

“ _ You’ve traveled so far in your time, _

_ But now you can rest. _

_ Although our souls are intertwined, _

_ We’ll release you per this request. _

_ Promise we’ll meet on the other side, _

_ So bon voyage my friend. _

_ May we meet again.” _

The sky turned grey, clouds rumbled and raindrops fell from the sky.

* * *

Grian couldn’t wait any longer, he had to go back, he had to change things. 

He thought he had time to orchestrate a plan but now things had gone wrong, TFC had died.

TFC’s death was something he couldn’t stop but he could try.

He had to.

Grian lost another friend, he’ll do anything to prevent losing more. Even if it meant doing the impossible. 

Preparation was key to the plan, but he didn’t have much time, Grian had to do it before Xisuma noticing someone was messing with void magic. With golden carrots in his inventory, diamond armor and elytra on, and only a half constructed plan in his head Grian went inside the machine that would fix everything, that would take him back to before everything happened.

He paused and pulled out his communicator, stared at it for a moment before typing in the server wide group chat,

_ <Grian>  _ _im sorry guys_

_ <keralis>  _ ?

< _ stress> what do you mean  _

_ <Zedaph> dude whats wrong _

_ <stress> grian I’m coming over don’t do anything stupid please  _

_ <Grian> it’s okay I’ll fix things I promise _

_ <Grian> i just want to say I care deeply about all of you  _

_ <stress> grian what are you doing _

_ <xisuma> grian buddy you okay? _

_ <Grian> I’m sorry for everything  _

_ <Cleo> grian _

_ <Grian> goodbye _

Grian put his communicator into his pocket, ignoring the buzzing notifying him of new messages.

He had to fix things, he had to do it for them. Taking a deep breath he pressed the button that would take him back before everything went wrong.

In instant a powerful boom and white flash appeared.

_(Ringing in his ears, bright lights, smell of smoke and ash, excruciating pain all over his body.)_

* * *

All grain could smell was smoke, it was everywhere. There was a sharp pain in his ears, probably the loud ringing, but there was a loght breeze.

Grian’s eyes snapped open, to be meet with a blue sky. He stood up and looked around him, he was in the middle of a field with flowers of so many different colors surrounding him. 

Before he could do anything else he suddenly remembered what happened. 

He had messed with the impossible, he had done the impossible.

Pulling the communicator out of his pocket he saw what day it was.

April 15, 2019.

Approximately one month before the start of the war.

Grian laughed in disbelief, he fell to his knees with the sun shining in his face. 

He’d done it. 

He turned back time

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For less agnsty hermitcraft content head on over to my tumblr @languid-flower


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sad boi Grian Hours™️ And Detective Xisuma ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ik it’s been a month but here it’s is y’all

Xisuma was used to weird mishaps around the server, he lived in a town full of emotionally stunted man-children. Now don’t take that the wrong way, even Xisuma considered himself an emotionally stunted man-child, but Xisuma had grown used to-maybe even a bit fond of the weird mishaps that occurred around town.

Then the Civil War happened.

To be blunt Xisuma hated every minute of it, the fighting and maiming, and the arguing. The arguing was the worst, it hurt Xisuma to see his friends over such a stupid reason.

He thought that it would eventually die down, that everybody could look past it and become friends again. Then Doc sent Mumbo back barely alive with a threat that the next person would come back in pieces. 

_(He watched Doc beat him up. He felt so powerless watching it happen.)_

That’s when everything escalated. 

Death threats where sent from both sides.

Assignation attempts happened on both team leaders.

_(Nobody knew who had payed for the hit.)_

Houses were ransacked and grieved.

Beloved pets taken hostage and killed.

Most importantly it showed a sign that the war would only end badly and bloody.

...

Xisuma was proven right and he hated it.

The war did end badly, so very badly.

The server hadn’t been the same ever since.

(_Since the War. Since the funerals. Since TFC dying. Since everything.)_

TFC’s death just made things so much worse, he was the only thing holding the server together after the war, the only thing keeping them from killing each other at first sight. 

Things got tense after TFC’s death to say the least. 

Everyone stopped talking to each other, complete radio silence from all, it was like they were strangers. Xisuma didn’t see a reason to check up on Grian, he had hidden himself away probably afraid someone of the Star team would attack him.

But then Xisuma felt a shaking, he felt a pain in his head and his heart and he immediately knew something.

Someone was messing the void.

_(He knew it was Grian he didn't know how he knew.)_

He felt the blood rushing towards his head. Everything got blurry and hazy. Reaching for the communicator on his wrist he tried to tell Grian to stop what ever he was doing, to stop doing everything and that he’ll be right over to deal with what he did. But Xisuma fell to the ground, to overcome with pain to stand.

His lost conscious thought was that Grian had just did something he wasn’t supposed to.

Something extremely dangerous.

(_He had turned back time.)_

* * *

Grian wasn’t as prepared as he thought he was.

In his head he planned the following:

  1. Turn back time (as you do)
  2. Find a proper disguise
  3. Befriend the hermits
  4. Prevent an all out war and all of his close friends deaths

Pretty simple plan right? Wrong.

Grian didn’t actually believe he would make it  past step one to be completely honest. So now that he was here and having to actually save the lives of 7 of his close friends and the friendships of the remaining ones, Grian felt as if there were some serious flaws in his plan now.

He felt as if though he want cut out for it, didn’t have the smarts or the logic to be.

_(He wasn’t smart enough. He was stupid and useless.)_

He was lying on the grass, had been ever since he’d arrived in the past an hour ago. Watching the birds fly around, the bees buzzing around the flowers and the chickens grazing in the morning sun. Everything around him was shrouded in complete silence, like a blanket. All was peaceful and calm, the complete opposite of what Grian was feeling at the moment.

All he felt was panic, and the feeling of being hopelessly alone and vulnerable. He hadn’t felt this alone for a long time, even in the future when everything fell apart. At least then he could always go to Stress or Cleo, they always accepted him even if they knew that the people around him always died or left.

(_Taurtis, Netty, Mumbo, Iskall, Helen.)_

Grian carried death like a close friend. He alway would nobody how hard he denied the fact. 

So to say he felt alone was an understatement, he was stuck with the bitter tonic known as solitude.

He has been since birth and will be till death do them part.

Solitude was his choice of poison.

(_He want cut out for this.)_

The sun was so unbelievably bright, casting a bright and cheery glow on all of Hermitcraft.

The smoke from the Time machine was starting to rise in the air, causing a slight fog in the sky that covered the clouds. Grian felt like that depicted his mood far better than before. Gloomy and dark and so very lonely.

He had to get moving, hide the evidence before someone came looking for the source of the sudden smog in the air. He had to hide himself, most of importantly. Who knew what would happen if one of the other hermits saw him here and then saw the past him later.

There would be a clear difference between the two Grian’s.

Past Grian was naive and still held that childlike innocence that they all once held.

He knew of friendship and love.

He didn’t know hopelessness or the feeling of solitude.

He held that glint in his eyes still that portrayed happiness.

Grian himself- future Grian- didn’t know any of that anymore.

He had gone through a violent war against his close friends, he was a war general.

He had felt betrayal and fear.

He has looked his friends and the eye and fought them.

He had become a broken shell of who he once was.

Any hermit would be able to tell the difference, and that was the bad part. Grian didn’t want any of them to find out his true mission, to find out that half of them had caused the deaths of the other half. He held many failures and the least he could do was protect them of the knowledge of the horrid future.

_(That’s the least he could do after all he’s done. After all the death and destruction he had caused.)_

The sound of rockets and elytra’s startled Grian from his haze. 

That was not ideal.

That meant someone was near, possibly it was one of the hermits coming to investigate the loud explosion the machine caused earlier and the smog it was releasing into the air. 

Grian couldn’t let himself be seen, without a proper plan or disguise he had no idea what to do but he did know that being seen would ruin all of it.

A voice could be heard heading steadily closer in Grian’s direction.

“Bubbles, Shishwammy! Wait for me, you know that I’m a slow poke!”

Grian immediately could identify the voice as Keralis. Who was apparently in co with Bdubs and Xisuma.

Xisuma.

That wasn’t good.

Xisuma was an admin, meaning he was essentially part of the void for only people with the ability to wield void magic can be admins. The thing was that an admin could tell when someone else messed with something they weren’t supposed to. So Xisuma finding Grian next to his Time machine would be terrible. 

The consequences.   
  


_(Disappointment. Bannned. Losing his only friends. Losing his one home)_

Xisuma‘s voice broke him from his panic induced trance.

“.. Hurry up guys, there’s something I need to checkout and I might not have much time.”

Not good.

Grian did the only logical thing. With the sound of elytras and rockets filling his ears, and the bees buzzing and the chickens clucking Grian quickly grabbed the beacon from the Machine and fled into the near by forest. Heart beating and blood rushing, Grian ran as fast as he could, disappearing from sight. 

Leaving only a smog filled machine and clues that someone had been there for the trio to find.

* * *

It was blasting hot, even if the smog covered most of the sun Keralis couldn’t help but finding himself starting to sweat. Investigating what appeared to be the remains of an exploded machine was not planned. But he was with Bubbles and shishwammy when sishwammy suddenly passed out.

To say the lest it had terrified Keralis.

(_He didn’t want more death to happen.)_

Then Sishwammy woke up and demanded they followed him and then here he was.

In the middle of a flower field he didn’t even know existed, sweaty, and standing with Bubbles watching Sishwammy examine the machine.

“Sishwammy.. are we done yet, I’m dying over here and so is Bubbles.”

Keralis hated to sound whiny but the smog was getting to him.

“Yeah I have to agree with Keralis on that,” Bdubs hand fanned his face, “but this is smoking hot, X.”

Xisuma completed ignored them, putting most of his focus on trying to figure out what exactly went down.

Keralis stared at Xisuma as he scrunched his face up in what appeared to be confusion, or anger. He didn’t know, when it can to Xisuma it became harder to read him than Bubbles or Doc.

The smog started to make his chest hurt and gave him to many memories.

_(I’ll protect you I promise. Save them. Promise me you’ll survive. I promise.)_

Xisuma kneeled down, touching the ash that fell to the ground, as if examining it. “Boys, I appear to have a dilema.”

Bdubs looked at  Xisuma, “What’s the dilema my buddy, is the ash the wrong color or something,” he chuckled at his own attempt of trying to bring humor into the situation.

He was met with an intense glare from Xisuma, something that never happened. This was clearly a serious situation.

“Well actually it’s the fact that someone has been here but I can’t figure out who,” Xisuma fiddled with communicator on his wrist, tapping away as most likely projections appeared in his helmet.

Keralis interrupted, “Well can’t you figure that out easily because you’re admin and all Sishwammy?”

“I tried that, but everytime I scan the area to check who was here I’m met with ‘Input Not Valid’ or ‘System Can’t Decipher Input.’ Which is concerning,” Xisuma looked at both of them, worry in his eyes, “ This means that whoever was here and caused this is on the whitelist but is still at the same time not.”

That’s where Keralis got lost, how could that happen. Xisuma looked at him and answered his unsaid question as if he could read his mind. To be truthful Keralis wouldn’t put it past him, who knew what powers being admin gave him.

“What this means is that either someone is hiding in the sever who is not on the whitelist or someone who is on the whitelist has just messed with something very dangerous. I don’t know which one is more concerning.” Xisuma looked at the broken machine and visibly swallowed.

“An Intruder or a traitor among us.”

Keralis didn’t know either.

_(He hoped it wasn’t the latter.) has _

* * *

Hiding in a cave wasn’t the best of options but it to Grian it was far better than what he could’ve done after fleeing from the scene. It was the first good hiding place he could find while running in the forest, running as far away from Xisuma. He couldn’t let Xisuma see him. In fact he couldn’t let any of the Hermits see him. Especially not himself, that would be disastrous.

_(His past self would go insane. Thinking the voices in his head were real.)_

The cave was draft and cold. Water leaked from above, most likely from a cave pond above him. Grian was huddled in the farthest corner of the cave, only a torch held in his hand giving him warmth and light. 

He was truly on his own now. No one could help him, and he couldn’t risk contacting anyone.

But he made his choice. He had done this of his own will.

Plus he owed the others, he owed them everything he had.

_(They only died because of him.)_

A sole tear slid down his face making a scratch that he gained on his cheek while running burn. Tears filled his eyes, making his vision blurry and his nose runny. 

Grian hated himself, he’s been in the past for barely a day and he was already breaking down.

He had to get up and do stuff. Save people. Save his friends. Grian couldn’t find the energy in himself to get up.

So he sat there in the lonely corner, weeping and alone. 

Shakily Grian whispered. To who is unknown.

”I’m sorry.”

* * *

Time was powerful. 

They knew that. They controlled everything, after all without them everything would fall into despair and discord.

They helped humanity prosper, they made humanity more than a simple species.

They were the ones that gave the humans time to create all, to create a name for themselves as the smartest species on Earth.

So why would someone mess with them.

Not even The Void was allowed to. Time was far too powerful for the Void to mess with them.

Time had been generous to the humans, given them everything they could provide, helped them strive beyond the set expectations held by many.

Time made them who they were.

The punishment would not be light for whoever was the culprit. For whoever dared to miss with them and their properties. No one messed with them.

**They would make sure of it** .

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh. I’m srry for not posting in a while :(. I recently started school and ig it hit me harder than I expected and I got so busy so easily. History essay, algrebra projects, English research project, Girl Scouts, robotics, clubs. I just found myself too burnt out to work on this. BUTTT now that I’m back in the swing of things expect more frequent updates, I pinky promise :) 
> 
> Follow me on my tumblr @languid-flower for less angsty hermitcraft content ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Imma try to update by Saturday 17th  
Updates on my tumblr @languid-flower


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